Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-12-03
KINDERGARTEN WORK.
ITS WONDERFUL HISTORY AND
GROWTH IN SAN FRANCISCO.
Mrs. Stanford's Munificent Aid to the
Good Work as Leading TO In
dustrial Education.
TRgcoRD-UNIoN Correspondence !

SAN FRANCISCO, December l, 1887.
Ten years ago there was not a single free
kindergarten west of the Rocky mount
aims. There are now over thirty in San
Francisco alone, including those in Or
phanageS and Day Homes. Branching out
from San Francisco as center, they have
extended in every direction, from the ex-
IRENE northern part of Washington Terri
tory to lower California and New Mexico,
and they have planted themselves in Ore
gon, Nevada, Colorado and in almost every
large city of California. The work in San
Francisco has been phenomenal No city
in the Union has made such rapid strides
in this work among the little children as
San Francisco. This is owing very largely
have been induced to study the work for
themselves, and have become con-
WINGED of its permanent and essential value
to the States. Foremost among those who
have given largely to the support of these
Kindergartens is Mrs. Leland Stanford.
who has, from first to last, given over
$4,000 to the support of these benefcent
schools for the neglected children of San
Francisco These schools are under the
superintendent of Mrs. Sarah B. Cooper.
the President of the Golden Gate Kinder
garten Association, who has devoted herself
for the past nine years to the upbuilding
of this work among the children. Her ia
nous Bible class organized the second Kin
dergarten opened in San Francisco, since
which time fourteen Kindergartens have
been organized by the same faithful band
of workers, including the Stanford Kinder
gartens, which are supported entirely bv
Mrs. Stanford.
TIE STEPPING STONE TO INDUSTRIAL EDU-
CATION.
AS the kindergarten is the very basis of
technical and industrial education, Mrs.
Stanford has made study of it, in connec-
ton with the great plans contemplated by
the Leland Stanford Jr. University. The
necessity of unfolding the minds of little
children through their senses, rather than
dwarfing them through the meaningless
repetition of mere words, is coming to be
felt more and more by all thoughtful edu-
Gators. 1t is the aim of the Kindergarten
to make men and women who will be self
governing and thus be law unto them
selves; men and women who will succeed
by their own skill and industry. Hence
the kindergarten gets hold of the little
child just as early in life as possible-the
earlier the better. 1t believes, with Lord
Brougham, that child can and does learn
more before the age of six years than it
does or can learn after that age during his
whole life, however long it may be. For
this is the root-life of the human plant,
and the root-life must forever determine
what the stem and blossom shall be. In
short, the world is beginning to recognize
the fact that a general education, that has
not in it some provision for special edu-
cation and training in some particular in
dustry, is practically a failure Technical
and industrial education for the people is
no theory. 1t is question of civilization.
1t is national question, and touches the
very existence of the State. kindergarten
lies at the foundation of this sort of educa-
ton. All honor, then, to those who foster
these blessed schools for the little chill
dren! All honor to her who has been fore
most in the founding and maintenance of
the Kindegartens of San Francisco and en-
virons-Mrs. Leland Stanford.
THE PAST WRAPS rEpOI r,rrx,,